Firefox will have an option to disable all AI features • Hacker News Board

Re: Firefox will have an option to disable all AI features

#381

Post by PurpleRamen » Fri, Dec 19, 2025, 10:05 AM UTC

tliltocatl wrote: post #355

I think people screaming "but AI is the future" doesn't recognize what the problem is. The problem is not AI. The problem is that Mozilla keeps jumping on fads instead of focusing on their browser core. There are a tons of "we bundled all the latest crap" Chrome forks out there. Nobody needs more those. Stop pushing bells and whistles. Give us more extensibility instead. Keep supporting v2 manifest and add more. Ther…

> The problem is that Mozilla keeps jumping on fads instead of focusing on their browser core.

They always did, everyone does. This is not really new, and not really that harmful in itself. The deeper problem is that you need developers who are also understanding what they are doing, what people want and need, developers who are nerdy about some topic and very deep into their understanding of it. But Mozilla seems to lack this, which is also why they have to follow every fad blindly, because they just don't know it better, have no real vision and understanding which enables them to build something really worthful. Mozilla seems to be the embodiment of what happens when you have a task and your solution is to just throw money at it until something works.

And let's be fair, it is easy to be good at something, but really hard to master it and dominate the world. It's not really their fault, they are probably doing their best, they just don't know it better, and so does everyone, including fans if we are honest. Everyone has their own preferences and goals, and often they are conflicting with each other. Mozilla has to find a common ground to server as much people as possible, and IMHO they are still good at this. Firefox used to be so much worse on some aspects, Chrome and other Browser are still worse on other aspects. Getting the perfect Browser is just not realistic.

> Give us more extensibility instead.

True, it's really a joke how many of their promised APIs never were finished after they killed XUL.

> Keep supporting v2 manifest and add more.

Didn't they say they will continue with Manifest v2?

> There were genuine technical reasons for why XUL and NPAPI had to die, but we need an equally powerful alternative.

Wasn't NPAPI mostly replaced with HTML5? Most stuff done with Flash or Java-Applets is now possible out of the box. Or is something missing?

Re: Firefox will have an option to disable all AI features

#382

Post by PunchyHamster » Fri, Dec 19, 2025, 10:05 AM UTC

echelon wrote: post #360

tliltocatl wrote: post #355

I think people screaming "but AI is the future" doesn't recognize what the problem is. The problem is not AI. The problem is that Mozilla keeps jumping on fads instead of focusing on their browser core. There are a tons of "we bundled all the latest crap" Chrome forks out there. Nobody needs more those. Stop pushing bells and whistles. Give us more extensibility instead. Keep supporting v2 manifest and add more. Ther…

> people screaming "but AI is the future" I witnes far more people screaming against AI. The media started kicking this off in 2021, 2022. It blossomed into a fully distributed, organic, memetic device from there. It has a life of its own now. Children and young people are practically indoctrinated if you look at social media comments. I was invited to give lectures to several art schools about using Blender, Unreal…

> I witnes far more people screaming against AI.

If you shove it into people's faces, they will have knee jerk reaction and hate it.

If the AI industry didn't desperately try to push it in every possible way in desperate bid to be profitable and it was just a thing that slowly gets better and is value added, not a nagging push, there would be far less of that.

But companies like MS have idea of consent of average rapist and will not even give option "no, I don't want copilot in teams", there is only "add it now" or "remind later"

Re: Firefox will have an option to disable all AI features

#383

Post by pjc50 » Fri, Dec 19, 2025, 10:07 AM UTC

Spacecosmonaut wrote: post #356

klardotsh wrote: post #319

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fully disagree. I use zero so-called "AI" features in my day to day life. None. Not one. Why do I need them in my browser, and why does my browser need to focus on something that, several years into the hype wave, I still *do not use at all*? And it's not for a lack of trying, the results are just not what I need or want, and traditional browsing (and search engines, etc.) does do what I want. I'd be elated if Firefo…

AI tools are here to stay. They will start to creep into everything, everywhere, all the time. Either you recognize the moment at which it becomes a significant disadvantage not to use them (I agree that moment is not now), or get left behind.

People wonder why there's a backlash when the pro-AI side sounds like the Borg.

Re: Firefox will have an option to disable all AI features

#384

Post by lawtalkinghuman » Fri, Dec 19, 2025, 10:07 AM UTC

andrepd wrote: post #138

samschooler wrote: post #23

I'm going to chime in here, I think 1. This is great and Mozilla is listening to it's core fans and 2. I want Firefox to be a competitive browser. Without AI enabled features + agent mode being first class citizens, this will be a non-starter in 2 years. I want my non-tech family members/friends to install Firefox not because I come over at Christmas, but because they want to. Because it's a browser that "just works.…

> Without AI enabled features + agent mode being first class citizens, this will be a non-starter in 2 years. The confidence with which people say these things... s/AI/NFT and I've heard this exact sentence many times before.

The metaverse is clearly the future. Zuckerberg said so, after all.

Browsers without metaverse integration will be a non-starter.

Re: Firefox will have an option to disable all AI features

#385

Post by pera » Fri, Dec 19, 2025, 10:09 AM UTC

Spacecosmonaut wrote: post #356

klardotsh wrote: post #319

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fully disagree. I use zero so-called "AI" features in my day to day life. None. Not one. Why do I need them in my browser, and why does my browser need to focus on something that, several years into the hype wave, I still *do not use at all*? And it's not for a lack of trying, the results are just not what I need or want, and traditional browsing (and search engines, etc.) does do what I want. I'd be elated if Firefo…

AI tools are here to stay. They will start to creep into everything, everywhere, all the time. Either you recognize the moment at which it becomes a significant disadvantage not to use them (I agree that moment is not now), or get left behind.

Many thing are "here to stay", should Mozilla also implement a "share with TikTok" functionality into their browser?

> or get left behind.

Last time I heard this phrase it was about VR, and before that it was NFTs. I wished the tech community wasn't so susceptible to FOMO sentiments.

Re: Firefox will have an option to disable all AI features

#386

Post by johnnyanmac » Fri, Dec 19, 2025, 10:10 AM UTC

godelski wrote: post #377

johnnyanmac wrote: post #188

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Without AI enabled features + agent mode being first class citizens, this will be a non-starter in 2 years. I want an application to serve me webpages and manage said webpages. It wasn't a "non-starter" for me 2 years ago when I switched off Chrome who chose to be too user hostile to ignore. It won't be a non-starter here. >I want my non-tech family members/friends to install Firefox not because I come over at Chris…

If you want to be a power user, then be a power user. Switch to a fork like Mullvad or Waterfox. Seriously, I don't get the problem here. I don't want AI in my browser either, but it is pretty simple for us who care to switch away. It's even easy for those who aren't technically skilled! If this is what stops Firefox from drowning then I'm all for it. They are our last line of defense from a Google controlled interne…

>If this is what stops Firefox from drowning

By having the most engaged users leave and splinter the community furtehr in hopes that Mozilla out competes the trillion dollar monopoly in a war of data centers? We really will do anything except message your policy makers, huh?

I migrated several times before and am browsing around now. Id even be so bold to say that Mozilla dying will not kill the Quantum web engine scene, so I have no allegiance to rooting for yet another billion dollar corporation that has continually proven that their customers are not their interest. But I don't think "no one cares about you, just leave" is the healthiest option for your stated goals.

>Can we make sure we're fighting the right battles?

This isn't an argument, this is my statement. I don't want my tools to be bloated.

If the entire idea of a web browser collapses overnight, I'll make due. But the last thing I'll be accused of is remaining silent and having this industry bewildered on how this apocalypse came upon them. They got feedback and ignored it, stopped competing on merits over trends, and lost sight of what people actually want. That's their choice, and they will reap what they sow.

Re: Firefox will have an option to disable all AI features

#387

Post by johnnyanmac » Fri, Dec 19, 2025, 10:13 AM UTC

godelski wrote: post #378

johnnyanmac wrote: post #191

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Do you ever need a website you're visiting translated? Yes, I have an extension for that. >Have you ever not understood a term or phrase on a website and had to go to wikipedia/urbandictionary/google to explain it? I have an extension that double clicks and brings up a quick definition. If I need more, I will go to the dictionary. >Have you ever wanted to do a 'fuzzy search' of a 300 page document (where you don't k…

> You see the pattern here? Yes. The pattern is that you find these features useful.

The pattern is that I seek out useful tools. I don't wait for them to be rained down and force fed to me. Just because meat is useful to me doesn't mean I want to be subscribed to a grocery store who will deliver meat every month. That's an overkill of resources for most consumers.

Re: Firefox will have an option to disable all AI features

#388

Post by heavyset_go » Fri, Dec 19, 2025, 10:13 AM UTC

robryan wrote: post #347

protocolture wrote: post #317

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Children are growing up with ChatGPT and Gemini" Yes. "It has already become the de facto standard for learning." Maybe. "AI in browsers is inevitable." Why. How does that follow. It seems like ChatGPT and Gemini are already working fine, what does the integration add?

And assuming people want deeper integration is the browser even the right level of abstraction? Arguably it would be better to have something that was operating at the OS level, like siri/gemini assistant style.

When Microsoft completely integrates its LLM into Windows, would you rather give that access to your browser, or would you rather plug in your own local model / turn it off entirely while browsing?

If a global LLM becomes standard, I'd want to plug in my own local model or disable it entirely, but I don't think Microsoft nor Apple are going to open up their operating systems and make it easy to do that any time soon. The option to granularly use your own models is a plus to me in that situation.

Re: Firefox will have an option to disable all AI features

#389

Post by pjc50 » Fri, Dec 19, 2025, 10:14 AM UTC

PunchyHamster wrote: post #382

echelon wrote: post #360

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> people screaming "but AI is the future" I witnes far more people screaming against AI. The media started kicking this off in 2021, 2022. It blossomed into a fully distributed, organic, memetic device from there. It has a life of its own now. Children and young people are practically indoctrinated if you look at social media comments. I was invited to give lectures to several art schools about using Blender, Unreal…

> I witnes far more people screaming against AI. If you shove it into people's faces, they will have knee jerk reaction and hate it. If the AI industry didn't desperately try to push it in every possible way in desperate bid to be profitable and it was just a thing that slowly gets better and is value added, not a nagging push, there would be far less of that. But companies like MS have idea of consent of average rap…

"AI" is the technology that makes your computers and electricity more expensive, while slowly ruining the authenticity of everything you come across on the internet.

I saw a sad post on bsky today about how the joy of animal behavior videos has been destroyed for that poster, because they can no longer be sure if it's real or just a fake.

Re: Firefox will have an option to disable all AI features

#390

Post by tliltocatl » Fri, Dec 19, 2025, 10:17 AM UTC

PurpleRamen wrote: post #381

tliltocatl wrote: post #355

I think people screaming "but AI is the future" doesn't recognize what the problem is. The problem is not AI. The problem is that Mozilla keeps jumping on fads instead of focusing on their browser core. There are a tons of "we bundled all the latest crap" Chrome forks out there. Nobody needs more those. Stop pushing bells and whistles. Give us more extensibility instead. Keep supporting v2 manifest and add more. Ther…

> The problem is that Mozilla keeps jumping on fads instead of focusing on their browser core. They always did, everyone does. This is not really new, and not really that harmful in itself. The deeper problem is that you need developers who are also understanding what they are doing, what people want and need, developers who are nerdy about some topic and very deep into their understanding of it. But Mozilla seems to…

> Didn't they say they will continue with Manifest v2?

Yes and that's a good thing

> Wasn't NPAPI mostly replaced with HTML5?

It's true that what NPAPI was used for 99% of the time is better served by HTML5. But it's not like NPAPI was limited to Flash and applets. Afair NPAPI plugins can access all native resources (which is the reason why the security sucked so much), HTML5 obviously can't. E. g. runtime code generation isn't particularly usable in WASM, so no JIT other than browser JIT for you. Then there are stuff like WebUSB/WebNFC/WebSerial that Mozilla killed. Not that they didn't have good reasons to do so, but having a native-exposing plugin system (with some friction, don't just install anything with a click) would have covered most of the use cases without being that much of a privacy problem.